Big cities and Big rivers by train
21 trains pass named big cities and big rivers stretches with a cited source. Ranked by the number of those stretches; the stretch names and the direction and season each is in daylight are on the route pages.
MountainsPacific coastAtlantic coastGulf coastDesert and canyonBig riversPrairieSnowNational parksBig citiesSmall townsWine countryWildlife
45 routes, 520 stations, 44 route pages so far
Ranked by named stretches
| Rank | Route | Named stretches for big cities and big rivers | Count | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California ZephyrChicago Union Station to Emeryville | Mississippi River crossing, Missouri River crossing, Gore Canyon and the upper Colorado River, Glenwood Canyon, De Beque Canyon, Ruby Canyon, Suisun Bay and the Carquinez Strait, San Pablo Bay and San Francisco Bay shore | 8 | 52 h 57 m |
| 2 | CarolinianNew York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station to Charlotte | Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands, Schuylkill River, Delaware River bridges, Susquehanna River, Potomac River and the monuments, Charlotte skyline | 7 | 15 h 41 m |
| 3 | VermonterSt. Albans to Washington Union Station | Connecticut River at Brattleboro, Pioneer Valley, Connecticut River to Springfield, Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands, Schuylkill River, Delaware River bridges, Susquehanna River | 7 | 12 h 47 m |
| 4 | CrescentNew York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal | Susquehanna River, Potomac River and the monuments, Coosa River, Tombigbee River, Lake Pontchartrain trestle | 6 | 32 h 12 m |
| 5 | Northeast RegionalRoanoke to Boston | Potomac River and the monuments, Susquehanna River, Delaware River bridges, Schuylkill River, Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands | 6 | 17 h 42 m |
| 6 | PalmettoNew York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station to Savannah | Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands, Schuylkill River, Delaware River bridges, Susquehanna River, Potomac River and the monuments | 6 | 18 h 19 m |
| 7 | Silver MeteorNew York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station to Miami | Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands, Schuylkill River, Delaware River bridges, Susquehanna River, Potomac River and the monuments | 6 | 28 h 29 m |
| 8 | Texas EagleChicago Union Station to San Antonio | Mississippi River at St. Louis, Arkansas River at Little Rock, Red River, Dallas skyline and the Trinity River, Balcones Fault and the Brazos River | 6 | 32 h 36 m |
| 9 | CardinalChicago Union Station to New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | Ohio River, New River Gorge, Potomac River and the monuments, Susquehanna River | 5 | 27 h 33 m |
| 10 | Lincoln Service Missouri River RunnerKansas City to Chicago Union Station | Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, Missouri River bluffs at Jefferson City, Mississippi River, Eads Bridge, and the Gateway Arch, Illinois and Michigan Canal to the Chicago skyline | 5 | 11 h 20 m |
| 11 | PennsylvanianPittsburgh to New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle, Schuylkill River, Delaware River at Trenton, Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands | 5 | 9 h 33 m |
| 12 | AcelaBoston to Washington Union Station | Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands, Schuylkill River, Delaware River bridges, Susquehanna River | 4 | 6 h 59 m |
| 13 | BorealisChicago Union Station to St. Paul-Minneapolis | Chicago River and the Merchandise Mart, Milwaukee and a glimpse of Lake Michigan, Upper Mississippi River, Lake Pepin and Red Wing | 4 | 7 h 31 m |
| 14 | Capitol CorridorAuburn to San Jose | American and Sacramento rivers and the Yolo Bypass, Suisun Bay and the Carquinez Strait, San Pablo Bay and the San Francisco skyline, Jack London Square | 4 | 4 h 26 m |
| 15 | City of New OrleansNew Orleans Union Passenger Terminal to Chicago Union Station | Lake Pontchartrain and the bayou, Mississippi River at Memphis, Cairo and the Shawnee Hills | 4 | 19 h 30 m |
| 16 | Amtrak CascadesSeattle to Eugene | Seattle departure and Boeing Field, Columbia River, Columbia and Willamette crossings | 3 | 6 h 38 m |
| 17 | Coast StarlightSeattle to Los Angeles | Columbia River crossing, Carquinez Strait and Suisun Bay | 3 | 35 h 16 m |
| 18 | Keystone ServiceHarrisburg to New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | Schuylkill River, Delaware River at Trenton, Hudson River tunnels and the Meadowlands | 3 | 3 h 33 m |
| 19 | Lincoln ServiceSt. Louis to Chicago Union Station | Mississippi River, Eads Bridge, and the Gateway Arch, Illinois and Michigan Canal to the Chicago skyline | 3 | 5 h 5 m |
| 20 | Sunset LimitedNew Orleans Union Passenger Terminal to Los Angeles | Huey P. Long Bridge, Yuma dunes and the Colorado River | 3 | 45 h 35 m |
| 21 | Lake Shore LimitedChicago Union Station to Boston | Chicago skyline and the Lake Michigan shore, Mohawk Valley and the Erie Canal | 2 | 22 h 2 m |
How this ranking works: a route scores one point for each named stretch tagged with each selected interest and cited to an operator route guide or a National Park Service description. Routes without three cited stretches have no page and are not ranked. What counts as a named stretch.